Walking Tours of Central Rio de Janeiro give you another view of this sizzling city.
Visitors to Rio de Janeiro throng to the beaches and the spectacular attractions during the day and the bars and nightclubs at night for full immersion in Rio’s scintillating and sultry entertainments. If they miss seeing the central district, known as the centro, also called the cidade, where the city was founded in 1567, they miss a vital part of Rio’s history during the colonial and imperial days.
Geeting to Rio is easy. Check flights from your area. You can also browse for hotels and car rentals.
See this map of the city to locate the central district. The centro is pleasantly compact, located with an area from the Morro de São Bento in the north (east of Saude) to the Monument to the Dead of World War II in the south, on the curve of shore opposite the lower end of Santos Dumont airport), and from Praça XV de Novembro, commonly called Praça XV, on the waterfront (west of the lower tip of Ilha das Cobras in Guanabara Bay) east to the Sambodromo.
The original city was located on hilltops, called morros around the bay. Forts, churches and convents were built on Morro do Castelo, Morro de São Bento, Morro da Conceiçao and Morro de Santo Antonio, giving the residents not only fabulous views, but defensible positions. Over time, some of these hills were leveled to provide more level building areas and landfill to create useable land at water’s edge, including Santos Dumont airport. The city has changed dramatically since it was founded in 1567. Morro de Castelo is gone, but the neighborhood is still called Castelo.
Though the city has grown, the central neighborhood is a rich experience. This is a busy place during the workweek, for this is now the commercial and financial area of the city. Outdoor cafes do a thriving business at lunch and after work, they are filled with lively conversation, samba musicians, and customers relaxing with an icy Brazilian beer before heading on to other places.
In addition to all the office high rises, the centro is home to museums, churches, monuments, shops, and other places to see. Take a walking tour to enjoy a glimpse of another side of Rio, the places where the city was founded and began. Covering about three kilometers, the centro can be walked from one end to the other in less than an hour. You won’t be disappointed. During the weekend, the centro is much less frantic, but unless you are careful, this isn't the best time to wander around. At other times, with a large number of historical and beautiful buildings and monuments to see, there is too much to see at one time, even if you gallop past the buildings and see only the exterior. Take your time, pace yourself, and divide your walking experience into three tours.
Divide your sightseeing time into these tours:
Page 2: Tour 1: Cinelândia, Lapa and Castelo Areas
Page 3: Tour 2: Praça XV do Novembre
Page 4: Side Trips
